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MEET THE OLYMPIAN: BRENDON SMITH
Brendon Smith’s love of swimming is a family affair.
Beginning with swimming lessons as a toddler, Brendon is now an accomplished swimmer and surf lifesaver with a long list of achievements to his name.
However, the 21-year-old’s biggest achievement to date is making the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
At the Australian Olympic Trials in June, he qualified for the Men’s 200m Individual Medley, as well as the Men’s 400m Individual Medley with a new Australian record of 4:10.04.
“After the race, my teammate came into my lane to congratulate me and told me I broke the Australian Record, I had no idea,” Brendon says.
Smashing the Olympic qualifying time by more than five seconds, Brendon won Newcomer of the Meet and is now the fifth fasters man in the world in his event this season.
“I touched the wall, and I knew before I turned around that I had qualified for Tokyo because the crowd was all clapping and cheering. When I turned around, I was surprised by how quick my time was,” Brendon explains.
“Straight after, all my teammates gathered around for a group hug and then I was allowed to go and see my mum in the corridor with [my sisters] Mikayla and Reidel. It was a special moment.”
Out of 35 Australian Olympic swimmers, Brendon is joined by close friend Se-Bom Lee in the Men’s 400m Individual Medley.
“Se-Bom and I are great mates… I was so pleased when he qualified as well. It was his birthday that day – what a great way to celebrate,” he says.
Brendon wasn’t able to celebrate his achievement much, having to complete drug test immediately after his winning race. Due to severe dehydration, he wasn’t able to return a sample for close to four hours and was the last person to leave the pool in the early hours of the morning.
Brendon’s Olympic dream continues on Saturday July 24 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre where the Men’s 400m Individual Medley heats begin at approximately 8pm AEST.
The Men’s 200m Individual Medley heats begin at approximately 9.15pm AEST on Wednesday July 28.
Brendon is a member of the Nunawading Swimming Club: where he swam with his three sisters, where his grandmother taught and where his dad was the club captain. Brendon’s parents both competed in surf lifesaving at a national level and his grandmother was a swimming teacher for nearly 40 years.
“It was natural for the four of us to swim – we were always playing in the water,” Brendon says fondly.
“I don’t remember thinking whether I liked swimming or not. It was a skill that was needed if we wanted to go out in the surf for a play, and I loved to just play in the water.”
Brendon credits his family for their unwavering belief in him, as well as the sacrifices they make to cater for his career and success.
“My family support is amazing – I don’t know anyone that is lucky enough to have the same support I do. From my parents, siblings and even my grandparents that travel from New South Wales to all our state championships, national championships and even my international competition to watch and support me,” Brendon explains.
“Living at home keeps me humble. My three sisters have also won Australian medals for swimming and lifesaving – I am just one of four.”
“I am also lucky to have [my sister] Mikayla swimming in the same squad, so we can share the driving – to be honest she drives 95 per cent of the time – but travelling in and out of the city in peak hours can get boring on your own, so I enjoy our time together,” he explains.
Swimming and lifesaving at a competitive level since the age of eight, Brendon is no stranger to nerves before a big race. He says his family is always supportive and never put undue pressure on him to win.
“[At a meet], our policy is we talk about anything but swimming. The only pressure then is coming from me and if you know you have done the work, any pressure is reduced,” Brendon says.
Explaining that he began to take swimming seriously when he was 15 or 16 years old, Brendon appreciated the support he received at school.
Admitting that his Year 12 studies in 2018 were a struggle, Brendon qualified to swim with the Australian Swimming Team at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Fiji. He also qualified as a member of the Australian Surf Lifesaving Team in the same year.
“It was hard to train at that level and study. I was leaving home at 5.30am, then training and eating breakfast in the car on the way to school, arriving at about 9am. Then I went straight back to training [after school] and arrived home at 7pm. They were long days.”
As the school swimming captain in the the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV) competition, Brendon says his education taught him more than just what he learned in classes.
“It wasn’t until I went to university in 2019 that I realised how lucky I was at Yarra Valley Grammar with the extra assistance the school was providing and having things like a good laptop to take notes on,” says Brendon.
“Overall, being an athlete at school taught me many important life skills, with the most important being time management. You need to be able to be organised to fit everything into your day.”
Now studying a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Finance) at La Trobe University, Brendon studies part time to prepare for his post-swimming career.
“I like my course at uni because I can do many subjects online which suits my situation. I will be spending many months overseas and when I am home my time is precious, so any time I can save by not travelling to and from uni is beneficial,” Brendon says.
Brendon is also a part of La Trobe’s Elite Athlete Program, which allows him to schedule classes, assessments and exams around his sporting commitments.
“An exam was scheduled when I was in the middle of the Olympic trials… the uni works with their athletes to come to a solution that works for both parties. I also get priority for classes that best suit my busy schedule. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
While Brendon recognises that particular elements of his tertiary education are designed to make life easier, he also explains that he misses out on a lot of things that other people his age do.
“It’s a double-edged sword because I don’t like that I don’t have the time to have the ‘normal’ uni experience and to meet people,” Brendon admits.
“My time is extremely limited, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make to become the best athlete I can. I catch up with friends like Matt Higgins from school when I can, but I don’t go to places like nightclubs. I’m too tired!”
Swimming at such an elite level, it would seem that Brendon barely has time to think in between training and studying.
Waking at around 5am, Brendon has a 20 minute dryland training session before jumping into the pool for about two hours. He’ll then complete one of three hour-long weekly gym sessions before going home for breakfast and a nap.
After lunch at 1.30pm, Brendon completes another 20 minute dryland session at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) before spending an additional two hours in the pool, swimming about six kilometres.
Arriving home from his second swimming session at around 7pm, Brendon has dinner and relaxes before heading to bed at roughly 9.30pm.
With a total of nine swim sessions and three gym sessions a week, Brendon lives a jam-packed lifestyle. Sunday is his only day off as long as he doesn’t have a competition to attend.
“Getting the right balance is always difficult for swimmers because of the time commitment to the sport. Many swimmers get burnt out because they don’t find a great balance,” says Brendon.
“I love the thrill of the race. My least favourite thing, like many swimmers, is the early mornings starts.”
Though not particularly superstitious, he always organises his swimming bag and indulges in a pasta for dinner the night before a race. When coming out to the pool for a race, regardless of the level of competition, Brendon always picks his mum out from the crowd and gives her a wave.
Never underestimating the importance of a strong mental state, Brendon breaks down his goals into achievable tasks with differing timeframes.
“I think the human brain is a major untapped source. Every athlete going to the Olympics is talented and will have worked hard to achieve,” Brendon muses.
“Sometimes it’s the mental ability that makes the difference. In swimming, 0.01 seconds can be the difference between a gold or silver medal. It comes down to who wants it more and who is mentally stronger.”
Focusing particularly on short and mid-term goals, Brendon’s immediate goals are to swim a personal best time in both his 200m and 400m Individual Medley events.
“You must put faith in your ability. One of my favourite sayings is that ‘hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard.’”
Brendon’s mid-term goals include making the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He also hopes to continue his professional relationship with Australian swimwear brand Funky Trunks. A sponsor since 2019, Brendon loves that he can combine his career and love of swimming with a business venture.
“Funky Trunks have been amazing to me. This year they started sponsoring my sister, Mikayla, so it is a family affair,” Brendon says.
“Mikayla and I did a photo shoot together a few days before leaving for trials. Modelling was never on my radar, but it fits in with schedule and I think their product range is fantastic.”
As well as his Funky Trunks’ sponsorship, Brendon loves that he gets to travel for swimming. Having visited every state and territory in Australia, he has also visited the United States, Fiji, Italy, Hungary for swimming, and New Zealand and South Africa for surf lifesaving. It’s not lost on Brendon that he gets to visit so many amazing places.
“In my short career so far, I’ve been fortunate to compete overseas in many countries. I’m not sure which is my favourite country – some have great memories for competition and others for the sightseeing.”
Brendon represented Australia at the 2018 World Lifesaving Championships as the only Victorian in a team of 16 people. He ended up breaking two world records and winning a total of five medals. Brendon was also awarded Lifesaving Victoria’s Youth Athlete of the Year award in 2018.
“I enjoy competing in surf lifesaving because it’s fun and I don’t feel any pressure. I love to race out in the ocean knowing that it’s not always the best swimmer that gets to win – they must also be able to run fast in and out of the water, along with an ability to catch and hold your breath on a wave,” he says.
Brendon’s surf lifesaving allows him to have fun and to also give back to the community as a member of the Half Moon Bay Surf Lifesaving Club.
“Every year I spend a minimum of 16 hours over summer as a volunteer lifeguard at Half Moon Bay SLSC. The club has an extraordinarily strong tradition of team support and they have all been incredibly supportive in my swimming career. Go Mooners!”
On dry land, Brendon enjoys gaming and indulging in other sports. His favourite sporting memory outside of swimming and surf lifesaving is watching his beloved Richmond Tigers win the 2017 AFL Grand Final from their home base at Punt Road Oval.
“I like to play basketball, kick a footy and play computer games – at the moment my favourite is Mario Cart,” he says.
The upcoming Tokyo Games will not be the first time Brendon has been to the Olympics, though he was only 12 weeks old the first time.
I went to the 2000 Sydney Olympics and sat at the 300m mark when Cathy Freeman ran her famous 400m race,” says Brendon.
Having only turned 21 on July 4 this year, Brendon hopes that his young age will allow him to compete in more than one Olympic Games.
He is confident in the organisers of the games as well as the Australian Olympic Team’s COVID plans to keep athletes and others safe. Brendon and the other Aussie Olympians spent two weeks in a COVID bubble in Cairns, with a strict testing regime.
“All the Australian swimmers have been fully vaccinated, receiving their final jab the day after trials finished. This is to protect all the swimmers because if a swimmer test positive all close contacts will be taken from the village,” says Brendon.
Having departed for Tokyo on July 17, Brendon explains that athletes underwent another test before settling in the Olympic Village made up only of Australians.
“Everyday competitors are required to do a temperature test and a COVID test prior to leaving the building. We depart the village the day we finish competition,” he says.
“I’ve worked out that I will have had over 20 COVID tests before coming back into Australia!"
In early July of this year, Brendon was retained by the New York Breakers professional swimming club, one of eight clubs of the International Swimming League (ISL). As one of only 15 swimmers chosen for the team, Brendon will star in the ISL’s third season in Italy, beginning in August and running for five weeks.
Brendon’s swimming idols include Michael Phelps of the USA, as well as fellow Aussie Rob Woodhouse.
Since the 400m Individual Medley was added to the Olympics in 1964, there has only been one Aussie podium finisher in the men’s event This was Rob Woodhouse’s bronze medal at the 1984 LA Olympics.
“Since 2018, I have received the Rob Woodhouse Award from Swimming Victoria as the best male or female Individual Medley swimmer in Victoria,” Brendon says.
“Last November I sat down and had a great chat with Rob Woodhouse over in Budapest… it was a huge highlight for me.”
Although only 21 years old, Brendon has a few tips for young swimmers and other athletes.
Emphasising the importance of truly enjoying what you’re doing, he urges others to always have fun with their sport or passion and not make it too much of a chore. Brendon also highly values his sleep and encourages other young people to do the same.
Finally, he believes that setting achievable goals will make even the hardest of tasks possible.
“I was always the kid that was overlooked at swimming because I didn’t have the best technique. After the 2016 Olympics a new head coach, Scott Talbot, arrived at Nunawading [Swimming Club],” Brendon explains.
“Scott believed in me, took me into the high-performance group and I’ve improved ever since. It was the biggest thing that changed me from winning a state medal to a national medal to making Australian teams.”
The list of Olympic podium finishers for the Men’s 200m Individual Medley doesn’t include a single Australian swimmer, and Rob Woodhouse has undeniably earned the title of the only Aussie podium finisher in the Men’s 400m Individual Medley.
However, it’s been long enough since these lists were updated – here’s hoping that we see another name added.
“If I know I have done the work, then I know that I can do it,” Brendon says.
Regardless of the result, Brendon has undoubtedly done his family, his country and himself proud. However, despite a gruelling training schedule, nothing can wipe the smile off of Brendon’s face.
He’s done the work, and Tokyo awaits.
